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Pitt Jam Fest: Day 2 Notebook

04/24/2016, 10:00am EDT
By Andrew Koob

Andrew Koob (@AndrewKoob)

The past two days have been a whirlwind for prospective recruits trying to add to their list of scholarship offers.

The Hoop Group Pitt Jam Fest, with its central hub in downtown Pittsburgh at the 24-court David L. Lawrence Convention Center, has been a hotbed for players seeking that offer or coaches trying to find the final piece that could push their program to the next level.

Local players, as well as some from the other side of the state, took the limited game time and did everything they could to show their respective skill sets:

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Ryan Daly (above) has picked up several D-I offers since de-committing from Hartford last month. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Daly fights off defenders, flu

Jersey Shore Warriors' guard Ryan Daly has been proving his worth since his senior season of high school began.

He continued that trend as the Warriors cruised to two easy victories to stay alive in the 17U Platinum Championship bracket. Daly, who missed Friday for his high school prom, saw limited action in the tandem of games.

Daly needed that extra rest throughout Saturday, as he was dealing with a fever that had reached well over 100 degrees.

"I had a 104 degree fever and that broke around (4 p.m. today)," Daly said. "I played with a high fever earlier today, so hopefully I’ll come back tomorrow and bring something more to the table.”

Daly added a Morgan State offer to those from Niagara, Holy Cross and UMBC; Maine and Marist have begun to show interest in the 2016 guard. Mount St. Mary's has shown the most interest according to Daly, but has yet to offer along with Bucknell and Drexel, who are also talking to him.

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Ngalakulondi impresses with Blue Devils

The 17U DC Blue Devils posted two impressive victories over the Uncommon Bulls (Va.) and Team Final Black on Saturday. Plenty of that had to do with the success of 2017 F Tshiefu Ngalakulondi.

The 6-foot-6, 206-pound small forward was a menace around the rim, securing soft lobs in the air for vicious dunks that sent those watching into a frenzy.

He also displayed a decent mid-range game, something that he said he has been working on, as well as his ball handling.

Temple, George Mason, James Madison, Boston, New Hampshire and Quinnipiac have all offered the forward from Proctor (NH) Academy with the likes of Virginia, Rutgers and Louisiana Tech showing interest.

The most important factor in choosing a school, according to Ngalakulondi, is the chance to make an immediate impact.

“I’m looking for the best fit," Ngalakulondi said." It doesn’t really matter what the name is, as long as I can go there and play and make an impact on the team. I love the live recruiting period and I love showing the coaches what I can do. Hopefully I can add more offers to my list.”

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Brooks getting high-major looks

Eli Brooks' offer sheet was already impressive to begin with. Now, as his game progresses, high-major teams are taking notice.

A week after receiving an offer from Kansas State, Iowa began expressing interest in the 2017 Spring Grove/Jersey Shore Warriors guard.

That interest from high major programs, and the possibility of receiving offers from such programs, fuels Brooks' play and mindset even more.

“It feels great. Just knowing that you’re at that level means you just have to work even harder just to fit in at that caliber of school. I want to get better each and every day.”

Brooks also added an offer from High Point later in the day, marking his 13th scholarship offer to date.

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Father Judge/Team Final Black 2017 G Marc Rodriguez found his shot in a big way on Saturday afternoon. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Rodriguez breaks slump in big way

2017 Father Judge guard Marc Rodriguez had been in a shooting funk for the past two weeks.

In Team Final Black 17U's loss to the DC Blue Devils, Rodriguez regained his composure in the biggest way possible.

With his team down by 15 points in the second half, Rodriguez bombarded the Blue Devils with three-pointer after three-pointer, connecting on four and bringing the deficit all the way down to three points near the end of the contest.

While Team Final Black was bounced from the 17U Platinum Championship bracket, Rodriguez was satisfied that his shooting woes appear to be over.

“This is my first game that I shot the ball really well in about two weeks," Rodriguez said. "That in itself feels good. I was just constantly shooting and trying to have more and more confidence each game.”

Rodriguez's lone offer comes from Division II Holy Family, but said that Lafayette, Saint Francis (Pa.) and NJIT have all expressed interest.

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Creach reconsiders his path

On the western side of the state, 2017 TTG Elite/Beaver Falls forward Josh Creach caused a stir when, in a March interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said he wanted to bypass college and pursue a professional basketball career overseas.

While the 6-foot-7 junior certainly has an intriguing skill set that includes good ball-handling skills and a reliable three-point shot, the comments seemed to scare away any potential collegiate suitors.

Creach seemed to back off that statement Saturday, saying that he wanted to play Division I basketball. That initial answer still lingers, however, as no Division I program has expressed interest in a player that possibly could be the best returning player in Western Pennsylvania next year.

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Jones continues to impress

Creach's AAU teammate, Kiski Prep's Shawndale Jones, received his first offer from NJIT during last week's live recruiting period.

He's thankful for his first offer, but is now ready to prove that he deserves plenty more on his list.

"It's a relief to get the first offer," Jones said," but now I'm going to go out there and play even harder so more schools start offering."

The 6-foot-2 point guard displayed a willingness to attack the basket, especially on a contested layup that was the deciding bucket in a 53-51 overtime win over Ohio Unity.

While the offers haven't come as of now, plenty of schools are keeping an eye on the upcoming senior. Jones said that Siena, Cornell, Bucknell, Navy and Robert Morris have all expressed interest.


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